


Is Cereal a Soup?

by LoeyBlossom



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, First Meetings, M/M, frozen yogurt shop, short sweet and cute, weird sentence starters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoeyBlossom/pseuds/LoeyBlossom
Summary: Sehun wasn't expecting a customer to enter the frozen yogurt shop at all when it's snowing outside, let alone the said customer who then asks him if he thinks cereal is a soup.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Oh Sehun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	Is Cereal a Soup?

**Author's Note:**

> This was a cute little idea I had. I figured now would be a perfect time to post since, in my area, we just got a ton of snow and it is cold.

Why a quaint little frozen yogurt shop remains open in the middle of winter is beyond Sehun.

Long before Sehun was even born, his uncle on his dad’s side had opened the frozen yogurt shop. His cousins have all had their right of passage working there as their first jobs, and at age 16, it was Sehun’s time to take up working at his uncle’s shop.

He’s been working there for three years now. Though, out of all his cousins, he is the only one to remain working at Sweet Tooth Froyo. His much older cousins have moved onto occupations that do not include working at a frozen yogurt shop their entire lives.

During the winter months, the shop is only open from 10-4 pm. Since the season is known for its drop of customers, Sehun is even working alone. His uncle, for the past two years, has trusted Sehun enough to hold down the fort while he is on some tropical island sipping piña coladas. If Sehun wasn’t family, he thinks he’d feel honored, but that’s not the case.

Sehun honestly thinks keeping the place open is more trouble than it’s worth when it’s freezing cold out, but he can’t really complain when he’s being paid to sit around and play mobile games and watch Netflix on his phone. When college classes are in session, he automatically gets a paycheck as he’s solving math problems or typing essays. If Sehun really thinks about it, sitting here alone in the shop isn’t so bad.

Today, it’s supposed to snow starting at noon and Sweet Tooth Froyo opened for business at 10 o’clock sharp.

When he arrived, Sehun automatically checked to make sure all the machines were working correctly before he set out all of the froyo toppings. Knowing damn well no one in their right mind would be stopping in when it’s supposed to snow the entire day, Sehun had then kicked back and started up the next episode of the drama he’s currently watching. 

Nearly three hours later, Sehun almost has a heart attack when he hears the bell that signifies a customer entering jingles.

He automatically pauses the episode of the drama, lowering his feet from the crate he was using as a footrest. He stands up, wincing when his back pops due to the position he’s been in for hours. 

Sehun is met with the sight of a guy who looks his age shaking his fluffy brown hair after he lowered his hood. A brief glance out the window shows that it indeed is snowing. It looks like there’s already a coating along the sidewalks. Sehun must’ve been too consumed by his show to notice the accumulation.

“Hi!” greets the guy cheerfully as he brushes off the snowflakes that cling to his thick coat’s sleeves. 

“Hello,” Sehun greets back politely, consciously trying not to gape at the male.

Who the hell comes in to get frozen yogurt as it’s snowing out?

“I’m surprised you’re open, but thankfully you are,” chirps the guy who is now making his way further into the shop. “I’ve been craving something sweet.”

“Well, uh, I hope you find something you like.” Sehun inwardly cringes, not really knowing what to say. He really, really, really, was not expecting anyone to show up today.

Now that the guy is directly looking at him, Sehun can’t deny that he does look cute. His hair bounced as he walked, and his cheeks are round and rosy from the cold. His lips might look a little chapped, but during winter, everyone’s are the same way. Sehun doesn’t miss the tiny mole that is in the corner of his mouth. 

“Do you have strawberry?” the cute guy asks. 

Sehun blinks, his observations of the guy being pushed to the back of his mind. “We have strawberry cheesecake swirl?” 

“Sounds great!” The male heads over to where there are the rows of the frozen yogurt machines. 

Sehun has to pry his eyes away from watching him as he glances over each flavor until he finds the correct one. He busies himself by checking all of the topping containers that he knows have not been touched since he laid them out this morning. Once he confirms what he already knows with everything being neat and clean, he stands by the register as he waits for his first (and probably only) customer of the day.

“You probably think I’m crazy getting something cold as it’s snowing out,” the guy laughs as he places his cup onto the scale to be weighed.

“No, not at all,” Sehun replies automatically, not trying to start anything. He learned the hard way when he agreed with a customer on something one time and they turned it against him in order to get him in trouble. 

“Good to know.” Cute Boy sends him a cheeky smile as Sehun tells him his total. Looking down into his cup, Sehun can’t even see any of the frozen yogurt peeking through. Piled all on top are gummy bears AND gummy worms, rainbow sprinkles, fresh strawberries, graham cracker pieces, strawberry sauce, and whipped cream. Sehun has to refrain from gagging at the sight of multiple toppings. He’s never understood those people who piled on a million toppings, but to each their own he guesses.

“Thanks, Sehun.” Said male almost blushes when his name leaves plush lips. He can’t help himself with thinking that the customer is so cute.

“You’re welcome.” Sehun can barely meet the guy’s eyes since he's so cute.

“My name’s Baekhyun.” The now named male gives him a beaming smile as he picks his cup after he had placed his card back into his wallet. 

“Nice to meet you,” Sehun continues with his polite tone, returning Baekhyun’s smile while handing him a plastic spoon. He had to hold himself back from making it look too enthusiastic. The cute boy even has a super cute name. 

“You too.” Baekhyun then turns so he can make his way to one of the tables so he can eat. 

No matter how cute Baekhyun is, it kinda annoys Sehun that he can’t do anything as long as he’s there. There’s no other customers to help out, no spills to wipe up, and no toppings or cups to refill. He can't risk going back on his phone or anything because that is ‘unprofessional and inappropriate’. All he can do is pretend to be very interested in the register. At least he wasn’t interrupted during an intense scene in his drama. 

“Do you think cereal is a soup?”

“Excuse me?” Sehun can’t help the surprise in his voice because of Baekhyun’s words. He’s used to dumb questions like ‘Why does this cost so much?’ (maybe if you didn’t fill the cup all the way it wouldn’t), or ‘Where are the extra spoons?’ (literally right in front of your eyes, just look down), but he doesn’t find this dumb or annoying. He’s actually somewhat interested.

“Sorry, you just looked so bored, so I thought I could entertain you a bit.” Baekhyun grins. Sehun thinks his heart might have stopped for a second from how beautiful it made him look. “So, do you think cereal is a soup?”

“Um, I don’t think so,” he says slowly. He can’t say that he’s ever pondered this deep question.

“Hm, I think it technically could be.” Baekhyun scoops a giant bite of his yogurt, shoving it into his mouth.

“I mean, aren’t soups supposed to be hot? I’ve never heard of anyone eating cereal hot before.” Sehun can’t believe that he’s entertaining this, but there really isn’t anything for him to do until Baekhyun leaves. At least he’s cute.

“Me either,” Baekhyun replies once he swallows. “But there are cold soups. Ever heard of gazpacho?”

Sehun frowns, the other making a good point. “You’re right.”

Baekhyun takes another bite of his yogurt. This time, a bit of whipped cream remains in the corner of his mouth. Sehun can’t help himself when his brain supplies about how nice it would be to lick it off for him, before Baekhyun is taking his thumb and wiping it off himself. Sehun wants to smack himself for the dirty thoughts. He literally doesn’t know anything about this guy besides his name.

“Soups are also made up of multiple ingredients, with cereal, it’s not,” Sehun continues to back up his statement. If he’s talking, his mind can’t wonder about thoughts relating to Baekhyun. He just has to make sure that he doesn’t say anything ridiculous.

“What if you mix multiple kinds of cereal together?” shoots back Baekhyun. “There isn’t just one kind of cereal.”

“Oh.” Sehun pauses. Well… that sure is a good point too. Instead of different kinds of vegetables in a soup, it could just be different cereal brands in milk.

Baekhyun cackles, probably at the expression on Sehun’s face. Sehun has to fight back the blush that threatens to rise at hearing him laugh. He probably looks like a fool, and it’s all because of this silly conversation.

“I just think that anything edible that you can put into a liquid can be classified as soup,” explains Baekhyun, this time with a mouthful of his probably overly sweet treat.

“I see your point.”

“It’s kinda like how if you blend anything up, it becomes a smoothie. Have you ever seen those YouTube videos of people blending random stuff up and drinking it as a dare? I saw someone do it with dog food. It was so gross.” He makes a gagging sound as he remembers the clip his friend Chanyeol showed him.

“Ew, no, but I get what you’re saying.” Sehun is thankful that he’s never seen the video Baekhyun is talking about, but he has seen one where the person blended a bunch of McDonald’s food together and drank it. That made his stomach turn, but he would rather drink that than the dog food one. 

“So you’re agreeing that cereal is a soup?” He eyes Sehun carefully as he chews on a few gummy candy he picked out from the cup.

“If you mix a few kinds together, then, yeah, I think that could be considered soup.” When Sehun woke up today and opened up the shop, he didn’t realize how his day would evolve. Never he thought he'd be discussing with a stranger if cereal is a soup. 

“I can’t wait to tell Kyungsoo someone else agrees with me!” cheers Baekhyun, another pleased smile on his face.

“Oh, you just wanted to settle a debate, huh?” Sehun can’t help but to laugh. He’s had his own silly debates with his best friend Jongin. On more than one occasion they’ve reached out to their other friends to get their opinions to see who was on who’s side.

“Yeah, my one friend Kyungsoo doesn’t think cereal is a soup. He just thinks he knows everything because he can cook way better than me and could probably be a famous chef.” Despite rolling his eyes, it’s clear that he means no harm with it. Sehun is the exact same way when it comes to Jongin. He’s a handful to deal with sometimes, but Sehun loves him nonetheless. 

“That sounds pretty cool, though. I wish I could cook well, but I am too lazy.” Okay, maybe admitting his flaws to a cute guy isn’t the best way to present himself, but he can’t take the words back. Fortunately for him, Baekhyun lets out another laugh.

“Yeah, same here. Kyungsoo tries to teach me stuff so I can at least make something healthier than instant meals, but I end up getting in the way so much that he just kicks me out of the kitchen.” 

“That’s pretty sad,” Sehun laughs along with Baekhyun, secretly pleased that they are both menaces when it comes to food making.

“It works for me.” Baekhyun shrugs as he eats another spoonful. “I still get food deliveries from my best friend. He acts like he’s annoyed with me, but he’d be lost without me.”

“Lucky. My hyungs just order the same take out each time they meet me.” Don’t get Sehun wrong, he appreciates the food, but sometimes it gets boring. Plus, homemade meals always taste better. 

“I’ll have to tell Kyungsoo to make a personal delivery to you so you can taste some of his fantastic food,” says Baekhyun, voice now completely serious. 

“O-oh?” stutters Sehun. He wasn’t expecting that. “If you’re being serious, you don’t have to do that, it’s okay.” Getting food sounds great, but it’s too much of a burden to put on someone who he just met. 

“No, it’s fine,” Baekhyun assures. “He loves letting new people try his food and getting their opinions. He says it helps him improve his skills.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

“Are you allergic to anything?” Baekhyun eyes him closely.

“No, not that I know of.” 

“Good!” chirps Baekhyun. “He usually stops by with new food on Fridays. Are you working then?”

“Yes, I am.” It’s Wednesday, so Sehun still has a day before he’s able to taste test food from this guy’s friend. That is, if Baekhyun is being serious. He could just be talking all this nonsense and never show his face again. That thought saddens Sehun. Even if he never forms an actual relationship with Baekhyun, he’s still easy on the eyes.

“Awesome.” The sound of a spoon scraping along the bottom of a paper cup then rings through the air. Sehun swears he sees Baekhyun’s shoulders sag and his smile falter as he scoops up the last few remaining bites.

“That was delicious!” he then compliments, wiping his face with a napkin. He stands up so he can dump his trash.

“Thank you. It is one of our most popular flavors.” Sehun has tasted it before and he enjoyed it, even though he likes to stick to ‘basic’ flavors.

“Guess I’ll have to come back and taste your other popular flavors.” Baekhyun, who was just staring out the window, turns to look at him directly in his eyes. Is Sehun imagining things, or did his voice sound… flirty? “I should get going while there’s a lull in the snow.”

Sehun turns his attention to the window as well. The snow that had been rapidly falling just a bit ago has calmed down a bit. He almost has to squint in order to see the flakes now delicately drifting down.

“Please, be careful, and thank you for visiting Sweet Tooth Froyo.” Sehun can feel his heart breaking while watching Baekhyun zip his coat back up and flip the hood over his head. 

“Are you working tomorrow too?” Baekhyun asks suddenly, looking like a curious little puppy. Sehun almost swoons. 

“Yeah, I’m working tomorrow too.” Sehun prays that the hopeful note in his voice isn’t detectable. 

“Great, then I’ll see you tomorrow, Sehun-ah.” With a devilish smile and a wink, Baekhyun opens up the door, bell above the door jingling as he slips out. In a heartbeat, Sehun's cheeks fill with color.

Now outside the store, Baekhyun waves to Sehun through the window. Sehun knows damn well that his tomato red cheeks can be seen by the other, but he still waves back. He wasn’t expecting the wink at all, but it was very welcomed. It meant that Baekhyun appears to have some interest in him. It makes Sehun feel giddy.

Suddenly, he’s grateful his uncle decided to keep his business open during the winter months and he’s already wishing it’s tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!! Let me know what you thought of it and thank you for reading!!


End file.
